


Rick Tyler and the Valentine's Day Myth

by MoonlightShines (Thatkillervibe)



Category: Stargirl (TV 2020)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, I wouldn't exactly call it that, OR IS IT, Pining, Unrequited Crush, Valentine's Day, sorta?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 14:01:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29437209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thatkillervibe/pseuds/MoonlightShines
Summary: According to Rick, Valentine's Day doesn't really exist.
Relationships: Beth Chapel & Yolanda Montez & Rick Tyler & Courtney Whitmore, Beth Chapel/Rick Tyler
Comments: 9
Kudos: 18





	Rick Tyler and the Valentine's Day Myth

Rick shot a half-grin at the girls as he set his lunch tray down at their Blue Valley High cafeteria table. 

“--And my mom is planning on ordering out so he won’t have to cook anything--Hey Rick!” 

“Hi.” The girls were huddled together closer than usual. Elbows all brushing as they snuck glances at people that walked by. 

He had long stopped trying to figure out what the hell those girls were up to when they got so conspiratorial as that, but considering the fact Rick overheard Courtney talking about her  _ mother _ , he doubted it was anything he’d regret finding out about. 

“What were you talking about?” he asked as he picked up his fork and shovelled in some limp pasta into his mouth before it got any more pasty or turned cold. 

Beth in particular looked embarrassed at his question, nearly knocking over her own stainless steel tea thermos. 

“Oh, it’s nothing,” she said with a little laugh that sounded forced. “It’s silly.”

“Valentine’s Day!” Courtney answered at the same time. 

Beth turned to glare at Courtney. Yolanda elbowed her sharp in the ribs. 

“Ow!?!?” 

Rick snorted. “Oh.  _ Valentine’s Day. _ ” 

“What?” Beth said anxiously, leaning forward. “Why do you say it like that?” 

Rick rolled his eyes, taking another bite of food. “It’s not like anyone celebrates it.” 

“Ha, very funny Rick,” Yolanda said. She tugged at one of her braids in a habit she’d recently developed to refrain from eyeing the football team’s table across the room. “Maybe I’ll jump on your anti-Valentine’s Day parade this year.” 

“There can’t be a parade for a mythical holiday that doesn’t actually exist.” 

Rick looked back up from his plate to find Yolanda, Beth and Courtney all staring at him with their mouths open. 

_ “What?”  _

They continued wordlessly, for a good minute before Beth chuckled awkwardly and said,  “Valentine’s Day exists?? On February 14th??” 

“Yeah. In movies, maybe.” 

Courtney tilted her head at Rick, her springy blonde curls tumbling down her shoulder against her cropped hoodie’s sleeve. “Huh?” 

Yolanda opens her mouth to say something, a wicked glint in her eye, then clamps her mouth shut, promptly changing her mind. 

“Rick…” Beth said slowly. “Valentine’s Day is a real day. They’re going to sell roses in the music hall and everything.” 

“I was just talking about what my mom’s plans were for her date with Pat,” Court added. She shrugged her shoulders, biting on her lip to stop herself from laughing out loud. “Can’t plan a date for something that doesn’t exist.” 

“Pretty sure my parents got engaged on Valentine’s Day,” Yolanda said. 

Rick dropped his fork. “You’re kidding.” 

“You really thought it was fake?!” 

“I--” Rick blushed. “Yes?! There’s some baby in a diaper that makes people fall in love for one day! How is that derived from anything legitimate!?” 

“It’s Roman mythology!” 

“So it’s fake!” Rick scoffed. “You’re proving my point! It’s not even called Cupid’s Day, it’s named after some made-up word--” 

“Oh my god Saint Valentine was a real person--” 

“Saint  _ who? _ ” He turned to Yolanda. "So this is a catholic thing?" 

Beth buried her head in her hands, giving up. “Help me.” 

Yolanda narrowed her eyes at him. “It's not 'a catholic thing'," she snarked back with air quotes. "I’m guessing you’ve skipped out on every Valentine’s Day in elementary school. Never got any cardboard cut-out valentine on your desk with a taped lollipop to it from kids in your class?”

Rick blinked. “Is now a bad time to mention I was homeschooled until middle school?” 

“Oh well that explains it,” Courtney replied sarcastically. Still, she obviously found this incredibly amusing. 

Beth sighed, removing her head from her hands and stared down at her finished lunch. She trailed a finger along the edge of her food container. “So…” she began, voice unusually tight. “Does this mean you’d be opposed to ever celebrating the holiday…?” 

“Uh.” Rick frowned. “Why?” 

“No reason.” She looked up at him from her glasses. “Just curious.” 

“What would that mean exactly?” 

“If someone asked you out for Valentine’s Day. Would you say no?” 

The way Courtney and Yolanda both waited for his answer made Rick feel on trial. “Uh…” he stalled, wondering how they got here when he sat down ten minutes ago. “I don’t know? It depends on the person?” 

Beth cleared her throat. “What about me?” 

Rick blinked and squeaked out, “What about you?” 

“If it were me…” Beth trailed off, meeting his eyes with something beneath those brown eyes of hers that implored for him to understand her on some telepathic level Rick wasn’t sure he could conceive. She stood up abruptly. “You know what. Nevermind. We were kidding it’s definitely a fake holiday.” 

Rick watched Beth rush out of the cafeteria then slowly turned to Courtney and Yolanda with raised eyebrows and a warning tone. “What just happened?” 

Courtney leaned back against her chair. “She likes you, dude.” 

"Oh." 

"So..." Yolanda prompted. "How do you--" 

"We're not having this conversation," he cut her off.  Rick ate the rest of his lunch thoughtfully, ignoring the many side glances by Court and Yolanda. 

When the bell rang, he slung his bag over his shoulder and left the two girls behind, glad to get lost in the school crowd. 

After school, he turned a corner and slipped down the hall to the musical hall, spying on a few transactions between the events committee club exec, and a few baseball team sophomores. 

Rick rolled his eyes to himself, already resigned to live this down for probably at least half of forever as he approached the table. The event committee club exec kid gawked at him, fumbling with the money box. 

He did not blame them. He was Rick Harris. The booze dude. Buying flowers in the music hall. Hell, he didn’t think he’d ever set foot in the music hall. 

“Hi,” he ground out when the kid only stared. Rick squinted his eyes at him. There was a giant tuba sitting behind his fold-up table. 

“Hi!” they blurted out. “This is the Valentine’s Carnation Station.”

“I know what this is.” 

“...Okay.” The kid pointed at the fluorescent pink handout with the colours and prices. “Your pick.” 

“It’s supposed to be anonymous right?” 

“Um. It doesn’t have to be.” 

He thought of the pretty smile on Beth’s face when she’d get the flowers, how much wider it’ll spread if she found out who they’re from. 

He had planned to get the two red anon roses and just let her have the damn holiday after the mess he’d accidentally stepped into. 

But was that what he really wanted? 

“Yeah, I guess not.” Rick dug his pocket for change.


End file.
